Expert in growing higher value fruit
"The reality is that growers can work their butts off and, because of market forces, still end up growing an $8 box of fruit. The question is: What can you do to position yourself to take full advantage of the marketplace,” he said. “What holds and loses value. That selection is critical.”
"Growers today must anticipate trends, which means staying in touch with the people packing and marketing their fruit. What a grower plants must match the packer’s and marketer’s plans — before plants are in the ground."
"It also means growers need to be in a position to routinely upgrade their plantings, whether that means a new strain of a particular cultivar or another cultivar or crop altogether."
“Develop the budget assuming that 5 to 10 percent of your acreage should be routinely upgraded. We need to get that mindset going forward,” Milne said.
"Plan ahead, considering planting density, trellis and new technologies, such as a robotic harvester. Are the systems you’re putting in the ground going to be able to take advantage of those technologies?” he asked.
He also suggested pruning to fight overgrowth and to make things easier around harvest time.
"In the springtime, they should be mentally prepared to wage war against overcropping by bloom thinning either by hand or chemically," Milne said.
He also suggested improving pack houses to protect fruit from insect damage, spills, decay and mold which hurt the final market value of the fruit.
source: goodfruit.com
